Sowar 1916 - White Dial, Gold PVD Case

Designer: Constant Droz

Established: 1886

Brand: West End Watch Company

The fascinating history of the West End Watch Company starts with the family firm Alcide Droz et Fils which in 1864 develops the technology for l'Impermeable, the world's first water-proof watch. It finds an unlikely market in British India where its popularity leads this francophone Swiss brand to be renamed West End Watches in 1886. Particularly well suited to the weather and rugged conditions, its watches are adopted at first by the Indian Railways, and then by the Indian military. West End Watch Co. produced 50,000 Sowar watches in 1917 for the Indian Cavalry during the First World War. Another important year for West End Watches was 1934 becoming that year the first watch to adopt the Incabloc shock protection system, and incorporating the Taubert-Borgel decagonal steel case--a cork stem seal and 10 flat steel case back system that rendered the watch 100% waterproof which is seen in the Sowar Prima watch. Today, West End Watches still enjoy its greatest popularity in India, the Far East as well as the Middle East, and deserves to be known in North America.

Sowar 1916: is a superb and easy to read military watch with late Edwardian styling and an unusual thick conic crystal with a polished flat edges, finely hand built in Leytron, Switzerland.

Band: Fine quality black leather strap with white contrast stitching, with push button and butterfly closure

Crystal: Sapphire crystal

Case Diameter: Diameter 39mm x 11 mm

Case Thickness: Ø 39.1 mm. Extra-thick 3mm conic scratch-resistant sapphire glass.

Case Material: Solid 316L stainless steel case, yellow gold PVD plating. Rhodium plated with Cotes de Geneve finishing.

Back Case Material: Transparent case back

Display: Date window at 3

Hand Color: Blued steel hands

Movement Type: Automatic ETA 2895-2 movement with small second dial

Movement Brand: West End

Dial Color: Pure white dial

Water Resistant: 50m (5 ATM)

Warranty: 2 yr international warranty

Made In: Leytron, Switzerland

All West End watches watches are equipped with the Incabloc Anti-shock system and are calibrated to 5 wrist positions for higher accuracy between +0-15 s/day.